


Five Times Scorpius Told Rose He Loved Her and the One Time He Didn't Have To

by ruth3nium



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5 Times, F/M, I know it's cliche
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-12 13:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2111802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruth3nium/pseuds/ruth3nium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somethings just go together naturally. Rose and Scorpius were always that way. A drabble-y look at their relationship. Multi-chap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Third Year

**Author's Note:**

> This is sort of a repost from fanfiction.net. I only posted it there yesterday, but then I finally got an AO3 account, so here it is.

Scorpius looked up at Rose. Her red hair had fallen over her face, creating a barrier that kept Scorpius from trying to talk to her. Scorpius knew Rose well enough to know this was intentional.

Rose had been avoiding him ever since school had started, doing things like ducking into the girl's bathroom every time she saw him, not sitting next to him, never making eye contact, and flat out refusing to be alone with him. The only reason they had wound up alone in the library today was because Albus had suddenly remembered "a previous engagement with his lady love," whatever that meant. Albus was not a good liar.

Scorpius scratched at his paper with his quill. It seemed like one of his biggest fears was being realized: Rose liked him and was avoiding him because she was afraid she was going to accidentally tell him. Scorpius frowned, both because he couldn't remember what unicorn horns were used for and because he didn't know how to let Rose down easy. Maybe the horns were used in some sort of beautification potion?

"Do you have a problem?" Rose had looked up now. Her blue eyes were big. Merlin, she had it bad.

"Uh, just trying to remember what unicorn horns are used for," Scorpius said, gesturing at his parchment.

"Unicorn horns are in most antidotes to common poisons, along with Bezoar and mistletoe berries," Rose recited almost mechanically.

"Merlin, Rosie, you're a genius," Scorpius said while writing that down on his parchment. "I love you so much for this."

The two froze, and Rose's eyes grew even bigger. Neither spoke for at least a minute.

Then Rose burst into laughter.

_What?_

"Oh, thank god." Rose pushed her hair out of her face and wiped tears from her eyes.

"What?" Scorpius said, aloud this time.

"God, I am so glad you said that."

Oh, Merlin, she would not take this well.

"Look, Rose, I didn't mean it like I, you know, _love_ you-"

"God, Merlin, no!" Rose said. "I don't love you like that, either."

"Then why are you glad I said it?"

"Cause I was afraid one of would swoon or something if that happened, and look, we're both fine!"

"Is that why you have been acting so weird? You've been avoiding me." Scorpius held up a hand to keep Rose quiet before she could even start to protest. "You have. It's not all in my head, Rose. Albus noticed, too."

Rose started picking at her skirt. "Well… You know how Albus and Alice started dating? And Erin and Quagmire? And pretty much all the rest of the third years? I was worried that would happen to us."

"What? Why?"

"Well, a lot of them have been friends even longer than we have, and with everyone else is paired off, everyone kind of just expects us to date, too." Rose looked up from her skirt and began rubbing at her temples with one hand. "But I didn't want that, and I started to worry that you did, or you would, so I thought it would be easier to just, you know, not tempt you or whatever."

"Rose, I do not want to date you. I will never want to date you," Scorpius said.

Rose looked him in the eye and gave him a small smile. "Am I that awful?"

Scorpius raised his eyebrows.

"I don't ever want to date you, either, Scorp."

"Good. We're over this now?"

"Yeah," Rose said. "Friends?"

"Yeah, whatever." Scorpius smiled sheepishly at her.

"Good." Rose cleared her throat. "Now that all that's behind us, can we please talk about how gross Albus and Alice are?"

Scorpius smiled, and, at least for now, all his worries were gone.


	2. Fourth Year

Rose was fast asleep against the train's window. Sunlight streamed through her hair, making her head look like it was on fire. Scorpius lifted his camera and _-click-_ took a picture.

"Huh?" Rose woke up suddenly.

"You were asleep for a while," Albus said.

"I was up late last night."

"School's on holiday, Rosie, so unless you were up partying..." Scorpius let his sentence trail off. He knew she was up late reading. Albus knew she was up late reading. Merlin, the entire school could probably figure out that she was up late reading.

Rose looked over at Scorpius, and then her eyes trailed down to his camera. "You weren't taking pictures, were you?"

"No," Scorpius said, stretching his legs across the compartment.

"Liar," Albus said. Seeing Rose's face, he added, "Most of them were of a chocolate frog wrapper he said defined, what was it, Scorp?"

"The over-consumerism of wizarding culture in the modern day."

"Yeah, that," Albus said. "Whatever the hell that means."

"You're such a hipster, Scorp," Rose said, poking Scorpius on the leg.

"Whatever," Scorpius said as he leaned back further.

Rose pulled out a book and started reading, while Albus stared intently out the window, hoping for a sign of Marisa Hooper. Scorpius sighed and began staring out the window.

After a while, Albus, apparently having seen Marisa, said, "Oh, Merlin, there she is."

"Go talk to her, Al," Rose said.

"I can't- I mean, I really probably shouldn't-"

"Go talk to her, Al," Scorpius said.

Albus looked out into the hall after Marisa longingly and then, apparently having finally made up his mind, practically ran out of the compartment after her.

"Think he's actually got a shot with her?" Scorpius asked, turning away from the window.

"Not a chance." Rose didn't look up from her book. "But he should probably figure that out now, instead of spending the rest of the year drooling over her."

"If you say so."

Rose looked up from her book after a minute. "How many pictures did you take of me, Scorpius?"

"A few. You had a particularly impressive booger hanging out of your nose." Scorpius gestured to the area around his nose as he spoke.

Rose scowled, but then rubbed at her nose. "Arse."

"Loser."

Rose rolled her eyes and reopened her book.

Scorpius fidgeted. He couldn't keep his eyes fixed on one place, bouncing from the window to the ceiling to the door. Rose did not look up.

Finally breaking, Scorpius asked, "So, you looking forward to Christmas?"

"I guess," Rose said, not looking up from her book. "It's always a little crazy, but in a good way. You?"

"Things are really weird at home."

"Why? Are your parents okay?" Rose snapped her book closed.

Scorpius sucked in his breath. "Grandfather Malfoy is dying."

"Oh," Rose put her book aside completely. "I thought you hadn't talked to him in a while."

"I haven't. Not since this happened." Scorpius gestured to his Hufflepuff tie.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Are you going to go, like, see him or something?"

"My parents will probably make me."

Rose bit her lip. "I think he's a piece of shit."

"Rose, don't say that."

Rose looked him in the eye. The intensity in her eyes made them seem darker. "No, listen to me, Scorpius. You're honestly one of the best people I know, and if that old bastard can't see it, well, then he doesn't deserve your time. He wouldn't give a crap if you died, why the hell should you care about him?"

"Rose..." Scorpius shook his head. "It's just not that easy."

Rose sighed, all the anger leaving her at once. "I know."

"But thank you."

Rose gave him a closed lip smile. "I wish I could help you."

"You do," Scorpius said.

Rose gave him a real smile.

"Love ya, Weasley," Scorpius said, bumping his foot against her hip.

"You too, Malfoy," Rose said just before she pushed his feet down.

"Hey!" Scorpius grabbed the wrapper that had been the subject of his photography and flung it at Rose.

Rose giggled as the wrapper just floated to the ground several feet away from her face.

Scorpius scowled. "I'll get you next time, Rose."

Rose smiled sweetly at him. "I'm sure you will."

"I will!"

Rose just kept smiling at him as she once again picked up her book and began reading. Scorpius scowled and glared at her. But the more he glared, the more he felt like there was something he couldn't quite get, like a word on the tip of his tongue.

It was probably nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Scorpius is basically the artsy little wizard hipster. He totally developed his photographs the muggle way, so they don't move, and has his own dark room and is in general a pretentious little shit. I feel like it's the douche-y Malfoy side of him coming out in a slightly different way.


	3. Fifth Year

Rose was sitting on Scorpius's bed. It seemed weird. Rose had been a separate part of his life for so long that seeing her now, surrounded by his familiar stone walls and indie rock posters, just felt wrong.

Rose smiled slightly at him. "You holding up alright?"

"Yeah." Scorpius had shoved his hands into his pockets and was now looking anywhere but Rose.

"Scorp." Rose patted space on the bed next to her.

Scorpius sighed and sat next to her.

"You holding up alright?" Rose asked again.

"I don't know." Scorpius scowled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I just don't fucking know. I mean, he's dead, but I don't know if I give a fuck."

Rose smiled slightly. "It's okay."

"It doesn't feel like it is, though."

"I don't think people always react how they should or know exactly how they feel. It's okay to not know." Rose had looked down and was twisting her hands together.

"Right." Scorpius gave Rose a bitter smile. "It's enough to make me want to go raid my dad's Firewhiskey stash, though."

"Scorpius, drinking isn't the answer."

"If Al had been able to come, he would have been all for me drinking."

"Al isn't here, and you know he'd say the same thing, anyway."

Scorpius kicked at the ground. "It was just a joke, Rose. You don't need to take it so seriously."

"I'm not!"

"Merlin, Rose, you're just so useless right now."

Rose turned red. "You're right, Scorp. Right now, I am useless. I don't fucking know what to do. I can't hold you while you cry, I can't help you take a leak on your grandfather's grave, and I can't help you throw a party celebrating his death. All I can do is sit here and keep you from doing something stupid." Rose choked back a sob. "I don't like seeing you like this."

Scorpius reached over and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I don't like being like this either, Rose."

"I'm really sorry." Rose's voice was muffled by his chest.

"I'm sorry too."

"God, this is fucked up. The bastard's screwing with you from the grave."

"Yeah." Scorpius sighed.

Rose pulled away from him. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's cool," Scorpius said, standing up. "Uh, you want a Butterbeer or something?"

"As long as it isn't that organic, free house elf shit my mother buys."

Scorpius half-smiled. "Um..."

"God, Malfoy, you might actually be worse than my mother."

"You still want one?"

"I've been gagging it down for fifteen years of my life. I can handle it." Rose waved a hand at him.

"Great."

Scorpius started to leave, but turned around in the doorway. He rested one hand on the doorway and looked at Rose. He felt like he had something more to say, he just couldn't think of anything.

"What?" Rose said, looking up at him and smiling.

"Nothing, just-" Scorpius sighed. "Thank you. I know I act like a total dick sometimes, but I still love you, Rose."

"Love you, too. Now go get me my damn Butterbeer, arse." Rose threw a pillow at him.

Scorpius laughed and half-heartedly ran out the room. He could figure out the rest of this shit later.


	4. Sixth Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is this unedited mess I wrote a year ago. I might clean it up later, but please don't judge. I kind of just want to finish this. I already finished the other chapters, I just have to edit.

Scorpius knew Rose Weasley better than anyone. She wasn’t her parents— that was the first thing anyone had to learn about her. She was as rash as her father and studious as her mother, but she was’t them. Rose loved romance novels, even if she always swore she didn’t. Rose cursed like a sailor, but it was more for effect than anything. Scorpius knew she loved the look on people’s face when Rose Weasley, daughter of two of the greatest war heroes ever, exclaimed, “Fuck me up the ass.” Rose was always messy, and loud, and never quite right. Rose could never really surprise Scorpius.

At least, not until she showed up in his fireplace at one in the morning wearing what probably shouldn’t even be described as clothes.

“The fuck, Weasley?” Scorpius shoved his feet in his slippers as he tried to figure out what the hell Rose was doing in his room.

“Shhh…” Rose’s eyes grew wide. “Your parents absolutely cannot know I’m here.”

“The fuck not?” Scorpius asked, not fully sure if he was dreaming that Rose was in his room. Of course, in his dreams, Rose never had legs quite that long or tits quite that big— fuck, he was tired if he was staring at Rosie’s tits.

Rose rubbed her eye, smudging mascara down her cheek. “I’m being rebellious.”

Scorpius stared at her like she had just declared she was pregnant with Lysander Scamander’s baby. “Are you drunk?”

“No,” Rose said, putting her hands on her hips. “Well, maybe. I had like a sip, just so I’d have the courage to do this.”

“Do what?” Scorpius really wanted to lie back down and go back to sleep.

“You know the Wand-Lickers?”

Scorpius nodded. They were the hottest new indie-punk-wizard band, with lyrics that were quite frankly, insipidly vulgar and a reputation to match. Scorpius was unaware that Rose knew who they were.

“They’re having a surprise concert— like a kamikaze thing. It’s in Knockturn Alley in like five minutes.”

Scorpius was really, really wanting to go back to bed. “And you’re going?”

Rose didn’t meet his eyes. “I wanted to be ‘spontaneous.’”

“The fuck that mean?”

“Clark said I wasn’t.” Rose looked really embarrassed.

“Your boyfriend said that?”

“My ex-boyfriend. It’s why he broke up with me.”

“Merlin, Rosie.”

If Scorpius were a better friend, he would have sent Rosie back home, maybe after a cuppa and some encouraging words. Or maybe he would have at least talked her out of the concert and given her his bed while he took the floor. At the very least he would have thrown a sweater at her.

Scorpius did none of those things. Instead he said, “Rosie, I love you, but will you get the fuck out of my room while I get dressed?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Not like I haven’t seen it.”

“I thought you weren’t drunk.”

“I’m not,” Rose snapped.

“Rose, give me the alcohol.”

Rose rolled her eyes and pulled a flask out from Merlin only knows where (Scorpius suspected it may have involved placing a charm on the space between her tits, but promptly hit himself for thinking of his best friend’s tits again).

Scorpius opened the flask and took a shot. Whatever was in there wasn’t firewhiskey; it burned even worse on the way down and had no taste other than pure alcohol.

“Hey, shit head, don’t drink all of that.”

“Merlin, I don’t think I could.” Scorpius wheezed a little as he tried to regain the feeling in his mouth.

Rose giggled. “Can’t hold your alcohol, Malfoy?”

“Shut up, Weasley.”

Scorpius managed to find an old pair of ripped jeans and a band tee, which Rose deemed as appropriate. In the end, he had to leave the room to change.

Once he and Rose got to the concert, it had already started, but that didn’t seem to matter. They threw themselves into the crowd, screaming and getting only a little more drunk. The band was every bit as provocative and loud as expected, and the crowd as unruly and disorderly as needed to have fun.

When Scorpius and Rose stumbled back home to Rose’s place at five in the morning, they got a worse screaming session than a howler from Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley probably would have punched Scorpius in the face if Rose hadn’t stopped him. It was crazy, hectic, and Scorpius had to sleep for almost a full day to make up for it.

But when a few months later the Wand-Lickers got arrested for various crimes against both wizarding law and humanity itself, Scorpius and Rose became something of a legend back at school. Every time Rose told the story everything became more exaggerated from the already crazy events. But Scorpius would always catch Clark looking at Rose, and Rose would grin over at Scorpius, and the whole experience seemed to be even more worth it to Scorpius.


End file.
